Beauty Black Book Directory By City: N - O

1.
Dandelion Salon

Nashville, Tenn.: Cuts1117 Porter Rd., 615-953-3234
Price: $70
2014 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
With quirky touches like a claw-foot tub filled with greenery smack dab in the middle, this salon still exudes some serious Southern charm. Stylist Christie Bazemore took her time with our tester, getting details about previous haircuts and her lifestyle before snipping. Bazemore cuts hair while it’s damp, then perfects the details after it’s dry. She added a shot of saltspray for texture at the roots, a dab of shine serum and sent our tester on her way with a bunch of product samples—and a hug.

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2.
THE RETREAT AT CASTLE HILL BY FARMAESTHETICS

Having recently transformed two of their historic mansions’ ocean-view suites into serene treatment rooms, this circa- 1875 hotel on Narragansett Bay offers a short but pleasing menu of services, including a personalized facial featuring products made with organic herbs and oils. Our tester reported plump, moisturized skin after helpings of Farmaesthetics Herbal Hydration Complex Mask ($48), which takes down redness, and the Nutrient Dense Fine Facial Oil ($58; farmaesthetics.com), all delivered while she cozied up on a heated bed.

4.
The Red Door

New York: Facials200 Park Ave. S., 212-388-0222
2014 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
Come into this multilevel spa for the Advanced Brightening Facial, which starts on a heated bed to loosen muscles while pros evaluate your complexion. “My aesthetician could tell I had combination skin and took time to extract the junk from my pores. She then massaged ceramide moisturizers from Elizabeth Arden into my cheeks and forehead,” says our tester. “The lights were soft for most of the time, so it was actually a truly relaxing experience.”

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5.
Nunzio Saviano Salon

New York: Cuts130 E. 65th St., 212-988-0880
2014 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
Star stylist Nunzio Saviano has tended the tresses of Brooke Shields and Mira Sorvino. Now, at his namesake establishment, he carefully considers a client’s bone structure and facial features before making that first cut. Our tester was impressed that “the layers he created totally gave my cheekbones a more chiseled look.” The proof, however, after the fact. “A week later, my new lob was still a cinch to style!”

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6.
Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa

New York: Nails222 West Broadway, 212-925-5441
2014 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
The emphasis at this small urban oasis is on comfort and simplicity with no gels or acrylics to be found. The salon makes its own foot masks and exfoliants with seasonal ingredients, like the all-natural orange-and-sugar scrub that buffed away our tester’s roughness from sandal season. A minty lotion made her foot rub all the more invigorating, and a careful paint job left her toes in perfect peeptoe-ready form.

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7.
Ricardo Rojas Atelier

New York: Cuts60 E. 66th St., 212-721-5900
2014 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
It pays to be early to sip a Champagne cocktail overlooking Park Avenue while you wait for Ricardo Rojas. The stylist, who has worked on Salma Hayek and Kate Moss, blew our tester away. “I have long, naturally curly hair that falls down my back, and he was the first stylist I’ve met that didn’t want to chop it all off,” she says. After Rojas skimmed layers with scissors and added new, long ones, “my hair looked full and had way more dimension.”

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8.
Rheanne White Salon

New York: Cuts14 Jay St., 212-966-2928
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Stylist Rheanne White, who has brandished her blades around some very hip heads (Girls’ Lena Dunham and her erstwhile onscreen boyfriend, Adam Driver, to name two), now works out of this spacious, clutter-free former art gallery. Once the pro got her hands on our tester’s “hopelessly overgrown” layers, she started slowly snipping damp strands and "moving them around to make sure each fell perfectly.”

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9.
Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa

New York: Massages540 Park Ave., 212-888-8988
2014 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
Multitasking Manhattanites find solace after long days with a Power Massage at this luxe sanctuary, which combines a spa, salon, and gym. Select your pressure and favorite essential oil (our tester’s answers: “medium” and “mint” to uplift), then enjoy expert kneading, as well as yogalike techniques. One mindblowing move? The pro held our tester’s ankle, lifted up her leg, and then flexed her foot back for a slow, deep stretch. Ahh.

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10.
Savor Spa

New York: Facials327 W. 11th St., 212-304-2887
2013 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
This quaint space in the West Village offers a surprisingly wide menu of spa services featuring organic products from their own Om Aroma skincare line. Our tester’s pick: a Vitamin C Glow treatment, which included a fruit enzyme mask, a calming lavender facial mist, and a pumpkin hydrating serum, all of which left our reporter glowing for days.

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11.
Jin Soon Hand & Foot Spa

New York: Nails421 E. 73rd St., 212-249-9144
2013 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
Should you be lucky enough to get buffed by in-demand manicurist Jin Soon Choi, the soft-spoken pro will shape and file tips to elongate your fingers and show you a handful of hot hues—from olive green to milky white—to flatter your skin tone. (Even a nude, she says, will look wrong without the right undertones.) Our tester loved the gently exfoliating milk foot soak during the Breath of Milk and Honey pedi: “My feet felt so smooth afterward!” To top off the bright coral polish, Choi cheerfully adorned both big toes with periwinkle flowers.

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12.
Fix Beauty Bar

New York: Makeup847 Lexington Ave., 212-744-0800
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Around a central white table, our tester received a pedicure, blowout, and makeup application simultaneously (how fun is that?). Though each part of it was “stellar,” a big draw is talented makeup artist Aina Lee, who prepped skin with luminizing Eve Pearl Priming moisturizer ($28; evepearl.com). Lee’s insider trick: combining navy, hunter, and burgundy shadows on lids for a multidimensional shimmery finish.

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13.
Marie Robinson Salon

New York: Haircut155 Fifth Ave., Fourth Floor, 212-358-7780
2012 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
Our reporter swears there must be Harry Potter–like powers shooting from stylist Chantell Carrtherol’s wand—er, scissors. She magically reshapes strands without taking away much length, and she creates body in even the finest hair. Props for her attention to detail: She asked our reporter whether she liked wearing her hair up (yes), then trimmed delicate layers around the temples to frame her face.

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14.
Red Door Spa

New York: Color663 Fifth Ave., 212-546-0200
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Want a change but need a little help? One of the big draws at the elegant Manhattan flagship of the Red Door Spa is creative color director William Jean Simon, who will help you flip through his own celebrity book for inspiration. Once he gets to work, thanks to Simon’s balayage freehand, our tester left with gleaming hints of honey that looked even more natural four weeks later.

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15.
Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa

New York: MassageThe Plaza Hotel, 1 W. 58th St., 212-265-3182
2012 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
What’s the secret to smooth, sexy skin? You’ll find it here. With the new 80-minute Divine body treatment (done at N.Y.C.’s famed Plaza Hotel), you get a total skin exfoliation plus a sublime massage. After a shower, you relax while pros work Caudalie’s ultra-hydrating Divine oil over every tight joint and limb.

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16.
Great Jones Spa

New York: Facials29 Great Jones St., 212-505-3185
2012 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
The luxurious, two-hour Dr. Hauschka Classic facial, is a head-to-toe treat. It starts with a sage foot soak, followed by an application of hydrating oils over arms and legs. Then an aesthetician puts calming lavender-infused compresses over the face before performing pretty painless extractions. Next up, two face masks. Hours later, our tester fielded more than a few compliments on her skin, which glowed without any blush.

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17.
Shibui Spa at The Greenwich Hotel

New York: Facials377 Greenwich St., 646-203-0045
2012 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
For the pampering 90-minute Diamond facial, aestheticians rub in circulation-boosting carbonated crystal powder, which draws oxygen up to the surface, to leave it looking temporarily flushed (in a good way!). Then layers of hydrating Natura Bisse creams and masks with marine extracts are gently pressed into the face via shiatsu and pressure-point massage. After almost two hours, our reporter’s complexion was soft, rosy, and totally refreshed.

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18.
Cornelia Spa at The Surrey

New York: Waxing20 E. 76th St., 2nd Floor, 646-358-3600
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The pros at this luxurious spa ,located inside a swanky Upper East Side hotel, use a soft, violet-hued wax, called Lycon, which hardens on skin and grips even the tiniest hairs. Our reporter was shocked at how one strip of wax removed all underarm stubble—with hardly any pain and zero redness.

20.
Benefit Boutique Upper East Side

New York: Brows1301 Third Ave., 212-288-4728
2012 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
Need killer brows...now? The new Upper East Side retro-girlie Benefit boutique caters to walk-ins. Pros speedily wax and neatly trim hairs, and can even enhance arches with a sweep of the brand’s highlighter pencil. Our tester was looking gorgeous in under 20 minutes. Got time for more primping? Stay for a spray tan or makeup application!

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21.
Essie Flagship at Samuel Shriqui Salon

New York: Nails35 E. 65th St., 212-472-6805
2012 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
Finally, we can bow our hands and worship in the place of Essie, the spot to go for an incredibly long-lasting polish job. The secret? Technicians first brush base over just the tips of nails, then go over the surfaces entirely with another layer; after two sheets of color and a top coat, the results are bulletproof. Our tester had a perfect sky-blue mani for 13 days!

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22.
Butterfly Studio Salon

New York: Haircuts149 5th Ave. 2nd Floor 212-253-2100
2013 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
This Flatiron salon is gracefully presided over by cut-and-blowout maven Kattia Solano, who obsesses over your texture’s styling possibilities. For our tester, this meant coaxing her fine and straight hair into a wave with nary a hot tool. The right cut was key, and Solano delivered it by snipping into first wet then dry hair, then focused on texturizing ends. The grand finale? Solano, the salon owner, and her assistant showed our tester how to twist-and-clip up partially damp hair to create a headful of loose waves.

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23.
Miss Jessie's Curl Bar

New York: Haircuts441 Broadway, Suite 2, 212-966-5600
2013 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
At this Soho salon devoted to sprucing up spirals, every cut comes with an education. As in, “don’t get a texturizing cut with a razor if you want to minimize volume!” as lead stylist Rejane De Castro Moura told our tester. Instead, she snipped slightly blunt layers into our tester’s medium-fine hair, then floated more advice during the styling session: “No scrunching while diffusing!” (Why? It makes finer curls fall flat.)

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24.
Aqua Salon & Spa

Shelton, Conn.: NailsOne Corporate Dr. 203-929-2782
2013 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
You’re here for one reason: to see master manicurist Michelle Davignon, who has worked with Cameron Diaz. Our testermwas excited to try the LCN Black Diamond manicure, which involves bonding several transparent coats to strengthen the nails, creating a solid plastic surface that can be painted over with polish or gel. The beauty of this awesome treatment? You can remove the polish and reapply another shade without disturbing the sturdy artificial base below. It can last over two weeks and grows out with your own nails.

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25.
Vu Hair New York

New York: Haircuts700 Fifth Ave., 21st Floor, 212-903-3081
2013 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
This clutter free space (magazines are stored in iPads) resides in the swank Peninsula New York hotel, and features just five styling stations. Here our tester experienced the subtle, transformative snips of former Frederic Fekkai protege Vu Nguyen. He brought bounce back to her damaged strands by adding tiers two inches above the ends and crafted fringe to frame the cheekbones. Then he blow-dried and pin-curled for loads of volume. Our tester marveled at “how much body he coaxed from my fine hair—it looked 10 times thicker!”

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26.
Euphoria Spa

New York: Massage18 Harrison St., Second Floor, 212-925-5925
2013 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
One of the signature treatments at this intimate, understated spa is the Chardonnay massage: Pros work antioxidant-rich grapeseed oil into the skin using long strokes—and that may be combined with lingering pressure on lymph nodes in the neck and limbs to help flush out toxins trapped deep inside the muscles. “It not only relieved tension from my temples to my feet,” said our tester, “it left my skin ridiculously soft.”

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27.
Patrick Melville Pipino Salon

New York: Color3 Centre Market Place, 212-775-7223
2013 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
This small Nolita salon exudes an upbeat charm. Every bit as cheerful is vet colorist Rick Wellman, who tackled our tester’s problem (platinum streaks that clashed with her dark brown base) with enthusiasm. His solution? Add warm highlights to brighten hair overall using his signature balayage technique. (Since they don’t produce as much heat as foils, there’s less chance of overprocessing, says Wellman.) The multi-tonal result earned our tester a compliment seconds after leaving the salon.

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28.
Oscar Blandi Salon

New York: Color545 Madison Ave., 212-421-9800
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At this bustling upper-floor salon overlooking Madison Avenue, colorist Kyle White can deliver what our tester called “blessedly low maintenance highlights” with the precise use of foils. Two months after her visit, she pulled back her brown hair and saw that the subtle honey and blond streaks still blended, with no visible lines of demarcation.

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29.
Yelo Spa

New York: Massage5 E. 57th St., 12th Floor, 212-245-8235
2013 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
Ever been to a napping retreat? A snooze after a rubdown is just one of the slightly unusual (and wonderful!) things offered by this midtown refuge that caters to stressed-out Manhattanites. After a massage in a private room, our tester reported that everything from her lavender-scented Essence of Vali oil to her neck-and-head emphasizing massage (and subsequent nap) exceeded expectations. “I’ve never had a spa treatment so tailored to my personal needs,” she said.

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30.
Joanna Vargas Salon

New York: Facials501 Fifth Ave. 212-949-2350
2013 InStyle Beauty Black Book PickBook an Appointment
Our veteran tester realized early on that “this wasn’t going to be one of those relaxing facials where you can zone out in near darkness.” Nope. Vargas offers serious reshaping facials in her brightly lit offices including high-tech gadgets, like a microcurrent device, which emits electric pulses to rev up circulation and flush away fluids for an immediately firmer look. After one side of the face is done, “one cheekbone appeared to be sitting higher—the other cheek looked bloated and undefined,” said our reporter. A stream of oxygen all over the face delivered a refreshing finish to the experience.

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31.
BETHANY NEWELL AT THOMAS HEINZ NEW YORK

The spirited manicurist Bethany Newell has an eye for details. When our tester first arrived to Newell’s space – which is tucked inside the apartment-esque Thomas Heinz salon – she found herself happily surrendering all of her jewelry to the pro. “She offers clients the use of her jewelry cleaner while she works on nails,” says our tester. “I just thought that was so thoughtful!” Equally impressive was the pampering manicure, during which Newell used hot stones to massage our testers tired hand and arms. “She asked my permission to file my nails into a more squoval shape, which she thought would be far more flattering than my pointy oval tips,” says our tester. “She was right!” A careful polish with Chanel’s famed smoky purple Paradoxal shade sealed the deal. “I couldn’t wait for a chip so that I could come back!”

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32.
Ammon Carver L’ANZA Healing Haircare Studio

Don’t be put off by the members-only-vibe of this off-the-radar salon. Assuming you’re cool with booking through the web site or their app (there’s no receptionist) and that you don’t mind a photo shoot happening across the large space (yep, it’s also a photography studio), you’ll feel right at home when you settle into one of the four chairs with a glass of champagne. Or so our tester did, as she chatted with owner Ammon Carver about her desire for a major hair do-over. (Another stylist had cut into the ends of our tester’s long layers, leaving them on the wrong side of “shaggy.”) Not surprisingly, Carver digested our tester’s hair woes, asked the right questions about her preferences and routine, and got to work resuscitating her lob. As she describes it, “He kept my layers but cleaned up the ends and angled my hair in a way that better flatters my blonde highlights.” Also earning raves? His blowout, one of the best our tester has ever received.

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33.
BLINK BROW BAR

On the fifth floor of midtown Manhattan’s Saks Fifth Avenue department store you’ll find DVF wrap dresses, edgy distressed denim from AG and Rag & Bone—and a line of chairs set up in the newly appointed Blink Brow Bar. Walk-ins are welcome, as pros stand at the ready to deliver expert threading services. Our tester had been growing in her brows for more than seven months. “They were completely shapeless,” she says. The technician spun a pair of cotton threads around her arches, swiftly pulling away strays to shape elegant, delicately rounded silhouettes. After about 20 minutes, “I peeked in the mirror and felt like I’d gotten a facelift,” says our tester. “I couldn’t believe how much younger the defined, curved brows made me look.”

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34.
HEYDAY

You’ve heard of a blow-dry bar, right? Now meet Heyday, Manhattan’s new facial bar. They offer a single treatment in a 30- or 50-minute session—a basic, effective facial (which includes a cleanse, exfoliation, and a mask) that you can squeeze into your regular schedule. Choose between two types: hydrating and calming, or detoxing and cleansing. For our tester with admittedly congested pores, the aesthetician took a comprehensive approach, complete with a double-cleanse, an exfoliation, and a dead-cell-shedding Naturopathica enzyme peel. With anti-aging serums and an antioxidant mask thrown in, the “quickie” facial delivered the full Monty. Our tester praised everything from “the chill environment and Kibildis’s skillful effleurage motions” to the follow-up email she received an hour after her appointment, filled with product recommendations.

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35.
RPZL

The name is a nod to the fairy-tale character of lustrous, long locks—and a hint as to the type of services you’ll find here. It’s a modern, all-white blow-dry bar ($45 per blowout) and a salon that specializes in the application of extensions (made of human hair). You can buy a 16-piece clip-in set ($250) or a collection of pieces that are “glued” in place with a handheld ultrasound device. Our tester arrived with a lob and left with “mermaid waves that reached to my elbows.” The most surprising part? “My husband didn’t even realize I had extensions. He just said, ‘Your hair looks really good!’ ”

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36.
SANIA’S BROW BAR

For perfect arches in, literally, five minutes, stop by this small, chic, well-lit studio near Madison Square Park. Here, the adroit artist Sania Vucetaj (who has tended to Sarah Jessica Parker and Rihanna) wields tweezers with stunning speed and precision, delivering youthfully full, bold brows. Before the plucking (with her own brand of slanted tools) comes the talk: Vucetaj explained how our tester’s set was slightly asymmetrical and sparse. “I’d been too tweezer-happy in the past,” says our reporter. To the rescue: a comprehensive brow-rehab program from Vucetaj, complete with monthly appointments and directions to avoid applying skin-care products over hairs (which can impede growth). “When I left, my brows were so much cleaner and more defined.”

38.
SKIN LAUNDRY

With a clean all-white interior that feels more modern loft than medi-spa, Skin Laundry offers a single 10-minute laser and light-based facial for those seeking results-oriented skin care in a time-starved world. The pore-cleaning treatment uses just two technologies—a YAG laser and IPL (intense pulsed light)—and each can have short- and long-term benefits, depending on whether you get a single treatment or a series of them. In one facial, dirt and bacteria are literally zapped away, leaving skin looking even-toned. With repeat visits, you may notice dark spots, lines, and pores are less visible. Our tester, who got compliments on her glow after just one appointment, says the quick hit of light and laser felt like no more than “a rubber band tapping my face.”

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39.
SPA NALAI AT THE PARK HYATT HOTEL

An upscale urban spa and decadent Carita Radiance Facial add up to 90 minutes of relaxing, complexion-enhancing bliss. Tea and truffles meet you in the soaring, Architectural Digest–worthy space done in calming blues, lavender, and gray. The treatment room boasts a wall of windows, and our tester left the curtains wide open during her service. As the sun set on the skyline, the pro executed painless extractions, applied a hydrating mask, and then painted on another mask infused with diamond powder and brightening plant extracts. The cream gave our tester a “major glow boost.” Even stubborn rough patches around her nose and chin were “baby soft.”

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40.
SHARON DORRAM COLOR AT SALLY HERSHBERGER

Are you within driving distance of Manhattan? Are you a brunette? Then you need to stop right now and make a date to see master colorist Sophie Georgiou. “I hadn’t colored my hair in almost a year,” says our tester. “My naturally dark brown hair had grown in and was down to my chin; my overblonded ends covered my shoulders in a strawlike curtain.” While our tester entered the three-floor salon wanting a refresh of her blond highlights for the summer months, Georgiou sweetly suggested another direction: an array of rich, elegant light brown streaks, which she assured our reporter would look so much better against her light olive skin. In under two hours, “I got such a makeover,” says our tester. “My hair looked so expensive. It was a luxe shade of cocoa that reflected light and brightened my face.”

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41.
LING SKIN CARE

This bright spa located mere blocks from Union Square offers up a calming retreat in the heart of the city, with an aromatherapy massage that our beauty-editor tester (who’s seen her share of rubdowns) called “simply divine.” The east-meets-west approach starts with you choosing from a variety of organic scented oils (more natural than cloying, with options like our tester’s pick, Ginger and Black Pepper, or simple mint.) From there, she entered the cozy treatment room with heated bed to enjoy a serious massage that incorporated a warm tourmaline tool (the Ling Energy Lift machine) to address especially stiff muscles. The technician used just enough pressure to work out the kinks in our tester’s shoulders and neck without pain, or bruising later. And that’s about the last thing she remembers. “The combination of rubbing and heat along with the aromatherapy made me so relaxed and I actually fell asleep.”

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42.
PAUL LABRECQUE SALON & SPA

This Upper East Side salon of skilled stylist Paul Labrecque reveals itself as you head up a central staircase to large, bustling workstations lined with full-length mirrors. Our tester’s visit got off to an “incredibly stress-relieving” start in the private room reserved for the new 90-minute C-Zen Scalp Massage treatment with mint and citrus oils that stimulate the scalp and deeply hydrate strands. (Our tester says her hair was “smoother, shinier, and completely immune to frizz” for almost two weeks.) Next up was a consultation with Labrecque himself to assess our reporter’s “grown-out, shapeless layers with frayed, bleached-blond ends.” No worries, promised Labrecque, who charmingly chatted away about summer vacation destinations as he snipped off inches of wet hair to create fresh faceframing layers. (He lifted sections vertically before cutting across and then into ends.) But to our tester, the best was yet to come: “He gave me the most amazing blowout I’ve ever had,” she says. The secret, according to Labrecque, is a supersmall, round brush. Most stylists use wider barrels, he says, but a small one is the trick to long-lasting volume in fine hair.

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43.
TOWNHOUSE SPA

Enter this fully-restored townhouse on one of New York’s most desirable blocks and prepare forget everything you thought you knew about massage. “There was a lot more stretching than I was used to,” says our tester of the Eastern Meridian treatment she tried. “I felt like a human origami!” But the pushing and pulling wasn’t for naught: By simulating acupuncture points, the masseuse managed to rebalance our tester’s meridian, or “energy channel.” (And he used his whole body—hands, feet, and elbows in included—to do so.) Our tester left feeling “completely refreshed and recharged,” and even went on to explore the Spa’s in-house lounge, which serves a full menu of food and drink.

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44.
ILDI PEKAR

Long before South Korea introduced the world to BB cream, Hungary was the epicenter of all things beauty, luring people from around the globe to experience their healing thermal waters and transformative spa treatments. Budapest native Ildi Pekar brings a bit of the country’s magic stateside by way of her eponymous treatment center, an all-white oasis atop a nondescript office building. Our tester was struck by Pekar’s “almost motherly” kindness as she administered her signature Vital C Facial, which harnesses the skin-boosting power of vitamin C through an energy-emitting device. And, if you find extractions about as appealing as a root canal, you’ll love the gentle nature of this facial. “It was all about hydrating, brightening, and toning,” says our tester. “All the puffiness in my face disappeared, and it stayed that way for a couple of days.”

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45.
WHITTEMORE HOUSE SALON

If Miss Havisham owned a hair salon, it might look something like this downtown hideaway. Our tester was charmed by the eclectic details—think mismatched picture frames and brocade furniture—dotting the space, and even more so by the friendly disposition of the staff, as led by former Bumble & bumble color directors Victoria Hunter and Larry Raspanti. It was Hunter who breathed new life into our tester’s self-described “one dimensional color,” adding warm, buttery highlights to create depth. Her weapons of choice? Plastic wrap and a balayage brush, used to separate strands and hand paint hair section by section. After a blowout perfected with Sachajuan styling products, the appointment capped off with a history lesson: Turns out the space the salon now occupies was once one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad.

Teddy Wolff Photography/Courtesy Serge Normant

46.
SERGE NORMANT AT JOHN FRIEDA

This new salon combines the unparalleled skills of top talents like Serge Normant with a luxe, elegant design aesthetic. Crystal chandeliers, expansive mirrors, and a jaw-droppingly cool wall illustration made by Donald Robertson highlight the multilevel space, which has a dedicated area for nail treatments with Essie’s pro line of products. Whether, like our tester, you’re going for shoulder-grazing layers (which Normant styles on stars like Sarah Jessica Parker and Julia Roberts) or a fresh, choppy lob, you can expect any cut to be delivered with expert precision and styled with the perfect amount of Instagram-worthy glamour.

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47.
Atelier ND

Northville, Mich.: Cuts170 E. Main St., dimachki@me.com (email only for appointments)
2014 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
Owner and stylist Nina Dimachki’s very private salon consists of just two chairs for hair services, along with a working photo studio. With no other staffer in sight, Dimachki greeted our tester and set about gaining some intel, asking her what she likes and hates about her hair. Armed with scissors, Dimachki snipped off dry ends, also doing away with superfluous layers; then, using a razor, she reshaped the overgrown bangs so they blended seamlessly. “Dimachki’s a total pro who made me love my hair again,” says our tester.